Improvement in water-wheels



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

FREDERICK SWATZEL, OF GERMANTOWN, OHIO.

IMPROVEM ENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

Speccation forming part of Letters Patent No. 52,224, dated January 23,1866.

buckets, showing` the top part of the spout.

Fig. II is a side elevation ofone ofthe buckets with its spout detachedfrom the wheel. Fig. III is a reversed view ofthe auxiliary buckets andthe ltop ange detached from the flange d, shown in dotted line at thetop of the wheel.

To enable others to construct and use my improved wheel, I will proceedto describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings.

' My wheel is designed to revolve horizontally and to discharge thewater at the bottom of each bucket. The buckets a a a are formed at anangle ot' about forty-five degrees, with an opening at the bottom, asrepresented at I), for the discharge of the water. Each bucket isextended by a iiange at the periphery of the wheel, (denoted by theletter (6.) This extension or flange of the bucket stands at an obtuseangle with the two sides ofthe bucket, and is upon nearly theradius-line of the wheel and projects beyond the two angular lian ges, dd, (one not seen in the drawings,) at the top and bottom of the bucketsa, and by which anges the buckets are held to constitute the body of thewheel. Upon the top ange, d, there are auxiliary buckets e c projectingoutwardly two inches beyond lange d, and these auxiliary buckets arecapped and held in position by the angular iiange f, as represented inFig. III.

The dischargewent l) is provided with a curved spout or mouth, g, withits open side backward in relation to the motion of the wheel, as seenin the drawings. This spout or mouth is connected with the inner side ofthe face a of the bucket and extends downward in a curved form below thebottom flange of the wheel about two and one-half inches. Thedischarge-opening b communicates with the spout or mouth g. The distancefrom the discharge-opening b to the back of the spout gis about twoinches and its width is about four inches, and corresponds in width withthe width of the face ot' the bucket, exclusive of the flange a". Itslength, as above stated, is about two and one-half inches. The back ofthe spout g is curved, or it may be inclined at an angle ot' forty-tivedegrees, more or less. This form serves as an inclined plane, upon whichthe gravity ot' the water will act in its passage down from the bucketsuntil it is discharged, and thereby assists, while being discharged, inpropelling the wheel.

When in operation the wheel will revolve l in the direction ofthe arrow,the water being conducted tangentially upon the face ot' the buckets bymeans of a continuous scrollspout. This spout may extend entirely roundthe wheel. The spout will be fitted to the anges d Z at the peripheryofthe wheel, and the auxiliary buckets e e are designed to receive theaction of all the waste water which may escape between the scroll-spoutand flange d. A similar arrangement of buckets maybe arranged at thebottom ofthe wheel to receive the action ofthe escaping current of waterat that point.

This improved wheel is designed to be used where the amount of water iscomparatively small. It is the intention to conduct the water from nearthe bottom otthe forebay upon the entire series of buckets through thescrollspout, and it is believed that this is the most economical way ofusing the water.

I have found by experiment with my invention that it has greatadvantages over such of lthe submerged wheels as I have used.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The buckets a aa, in combination with the inclined or curved spout g,operating in the manner substantially as described.

2. The auxiliary-buckets ee, in combination with the wheel, asdescribed.

FRED. SWATZEL. Witnesses:

H. P. K. PEcK, SHEM. THOMAS.

